Christmas Over and Back to Work in the Classroom. Great School and Great Kids. Ten Years Ago at the Space Center: Erin Williams Earns her 10 Year Pin. Jon Parker Wins Best Ship of the Overnight Camp. Imaginarium Theater.

Hello Troops,

     I returned to my 6th grade classroom at Renaissance Academy (great school and awesome kids) on Monday after a restful 2 week Christmas vacation. It was "Back in the Saddle Again". My first of 5 math periods started promptly at 8:00 A.M.  The sixth graders were surprisingly alert, considering the two week break, and ready to tackle coordinated planes. First period - no problems.  Second period was the pre-algebra group. They engaged the distributive property with integers without a hiccup.  I enjoy recess as much as the kids. Those precious 15 minutes outside in the brisk winter air without a mask is a blessing. Third period is my online class. Teaching online takes more energy. With ipad propped up on my lecture stand and projector ablaze I attack the lesson with a higher level of animation and voice inflection - a must for the online teacher if you want to keep the kiddos engaged from a distance.  

     Lunch follows.

     My afternoon starts with fourth period.  By 4th period the day's lesson is aged and nearing its sell by date.  After having taught it three times already, facing another class with the same umph and energy as first period means pulling from the gut and starting in on your reserves.  

     Fifth period starts at 1:50 P.M.  I'm working on fumes alone by then. My lesson on coordinate planes is laced with mold and carries a smell similar to boiled cauliflower.  Teaching that last math class is like putting lipstick on a pig some days.  You try to keep it as fresh and vibrant as it was at 8:00 A.M. but sometimes fatigue and the sheer number of miles paced back and forth across the whiteboard during the day takes the wind out of your sails. This is where the amateur shirks to the desk and a worksheet while the professional steps into the hall, gets a drink, composes himself, engages the afterburners and enters the room ready to teach calling upon years of experience and fueled by the ticking of the clock at the back of the room reminding you that each passing minute takes you closer to the end of the day.  One more recess at 3:00 P.M. then my prep period and done.  

     After 37 years in education I still enjoy the challenge of the school day.  My legs and back remind me at times that I'm not the youngster I once was, and you won't find me in the gym playing dodgeball anymore but the energy of a school and the students keeps you young at heart.  

     We're starting on the long march to Spring Vacation. This is that stretch of the school year where a good teacher uses his /her best material to keep the kids on task and attentive. I I'll start my monetary unit and move the students into the chairs game. The combination of both will to the trick ensuring a smooth winter season.  

     I'm hoping you are all well and keeping safe during this pandemic.  Keep smiling, and when you're in the dumps, watch another Imaginarium Theater to lift your spirits.  

Mr. Williamson              

Ten(Ish) Years Ago at the Space Center

Erin Williams Earns her One Year Pin. Jon Parker Takes the Overnight Camp's Best Ship Honors.

January 10, 2011

Hello Troops,
     It's Monday at the Space Center. Amazing how that happens every seven days. We've got a busy week with field trips, after school field trips and private missions. This weekend we host 45 students from Sego Lily Elementary School.

     Our overnight camp went well. The Highland kids were generous in their scores. I'd like to congratulate the Voyager for taking top honors. Good work Jon Parker and his staff. They flew Canada. The Magellan came in a very close second.

     I want to congratulate Erin W. for earning her One Year of Volunteer Service Pin. The pin was awarded during our End of Camp meeting in Discover on Saturday. Erin is an awesome volunteer. By the way, please ignore the cheesy smile. I only get a few hours of sleep on overnight camps, and by 10:30 A.M. Saturday I'm on my 27th working hour (having started at 7:00 P.M. Friday morning), so anything I do on Saturdays is done on mental fumes only. Real coherent thought eludes me until Sunday morning.

     The Super Saturday also went well. We were all anxious to get home though. It was a busy week back from the holiday vacation. 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2010

New Galileo Test Mission. Also, A Few Bits of Cool Space News.

Hello Troops,
     What a great Tuesday it is! We are hosting the Astronomy Class from Lone Peak High School at the moment. Bracken is flying the Voyager. Christine is flying the Odyssey. They are doing Intolerance. We are back into the swing of things. I'm happy to be running missions again. I like the routine.
     We are getting close to opening the new Galileo. There are a few bugs that are still bothering us. They are being addressed one at a time. We have someone working on the ship every day until it is ready to fly.
     I know some of you are frustrated. You've been waiting to book a mission on the new Galileo and I keep postponing the opening. Remember, we have a very limited budget and this new simulator cost a lot of money. I need to rely on volunteer labor and the work of our less experienced maintenance personnel to finish the ship. We can't afford professionals. It is just the way things work around here. I'll open the Galileo once I'm sure the crews will have a good experience. 
      Here are a items of interest:

• Kyle would like to run a Galileo Test Mission on Thursday from 5:00 - 7:30 P.M. We need 6 people to sign up. We are still working out the bugs so their may be errors. If you're interested send an email. I'll take the first 6.

Imaginarium Theater

The Best Videos From Around the World Edited for a Gentler Audience

Starting the New Year as Any Good Procrastinator Should. Ten Years Ago This Week at the Space Center. Test Flight at the New Space Center. The Imaginarium Theater.

Good Morning Troops!

     It is Sunday, January 3.  I'm sitting at my desk here at the Fortress of Solitude pondering everything I didn't do over the holiday break; all those things on my pre-holiday to do list that seemed so easily accomplished but so difficult to execute once my time was really my own.  Sigh......  

     I looked back in The Troubadour's Archives and found the post below from 2011. Reading it again has given me the courage to shamefully step out of the shadows and confess to all that I am a holiday procrastinator from each cell in my body to the very essence of my character. 

      Considering that 2020 was a train wreck worldwide, I take great solace in still being upright and sane. I will not begrudge the fact that I took time to sit and read a favorite book or two, watch a few favorite TV shows, scan and publish pages from Central's historical albums, do a weekly Imaginarium Theater, and entertain and enjoy a house full of joy, excitement, and many children's voices.  

     Perhaps the slight guilt I feel for neglecting a task or two could best be remedied by rewording my holiday to-do list in the future.

        Christmas Holiday To Do List for 2021

          1.  Rest and sleep in for as long as you can.

          2.  Read a book or two for no other reason than 

                escapism.  

          3.  Enjoy family and friends. When they call, drop 

               whatever I'm doing and join in. 

          4.  Enjoy long phone conversations with far away 

               friends and family.

          5.  Nibble away at those delicious holiday treats. 

               Christmas comes but once a year.

          6.  Everything Else if time allows, knowing there 

               is plenty of time from January on to do

               most of the Everything Else's.

     There you go, next year's holiday guilt free to-do list complete.  

     I'm hoping you all have a wonderful New Year. I'm praying 2021 will bring peace and prosperity to you and yours.  To liberally quote the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, “God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

Happy New Year!

Victor    

Ten Years Ago. From The Troubadour's Archives

SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2011

Procrastinators of the World, Unite!

Hello Troops,
     I'm sitting at home shell shocked and attempting to come to terms with the fact that this is my last day of leave before I pick up my kit and splosh through the slush and muck, across field and forest, to rejoin my comrades in the trenches at the Space Center. Ignorance is once again to be battled. Our holiday truce is concluded. One more good meal tonight, then it's a steady diet of rations; warm beans (if we can make a fire) perhaps flavored with a bit of pork rind. The brown water the cook calls coffee will wash it down.
     I had great expectations for this Christmas vacation. There was a list of things I'd hoped to accomplish but didn't. There's a little angel sitting on my right shoulder right now, chastising me for my laziness. There's a little devil sitting on my left shoulder congratulating me for slacking off. My current headache is the result of their quarrel.
     "That list will have to be done. You've just procrastinated," the angel is saying to me.
     "There's always tomorrow," the devil just countered.

     

     Sometimes you just need to just stop on life's busy highway and vegetate. Sometimes you need to grab a hot cup of whatever and just stare. I've been known to stare out the window or at a point on the wall or at people I don't even know or at that box in the living room (whether it's on or off). I let my brain drift to find its own course, taking me along for the ride. Of course this kind of mental adventuring requires a great deal of sustenance. Frequent trips to the kitchen provide the fuel and Christmas time is always the best time to find the most delicious mental fuel laying about.
     I noticed my belt has shrunk over the past two weeks. Cheap leather is the only explanation. I'll have to either purchase a new belt or make fewer trips to the kitchen. Hummmmmm, I hate tough choices.

Space Center News:

• The Galileo is about to get a new set of simulator controls. Our Programming Guild has been working for months creating ship controls in Cocoa (Apple's language for the iPad and iPhone).
• The Magellan has a couple new large signs to dress up its blank white walls. We hope to have more made.
• The Phoenix's Control Room was reorganized. The Phoenix staff have more counter space now.
• I took a few minutes yesterday and started up the Voyager. The Voyager has a personality of its own and if it's neglected too long (like the past two weeks) it has been known to throw a bit of a temper tantrum (meaning something won't work, either a computer or sound mixer or monitor). I spoke nicely to the ship before I started anything. I turned on the lights, went up to the bridge and explained why we've been gone for so long. I told her that she was never forgotten during our absence and how excited we all were to come back. With fingers crossed I started to turn everything on. I'm happy to report that the Voyager responded well to my soliloquy. Everything ran perfectly. Fingers crossed I get the same results tomorrow when the field trip arrives.

Test Flights at the New Christa McAuliffe Space Center!  The New Fleet Prepares to Launch.

On December 19th we ran our first test flight for our new simulators. There were still a few bugs to work out with lighting and engineering panels to finish assembling, so it was a 95% completed set. Thank you to the Carlson crew for being our test subjects.

So many hours of work went into preparing for that first flight and it would take too long to thank all who helped make it possible. That being said a huge thanks goes to Natalie and Tabitha for staffing the Odyssey. Jon for all the odd jobs related to getting all the ships ready. Nathan for programming and building our subsystem panel. Matt for troubleshooting a wide variety of projects.

We are so grateful to all the staff and volunteers who have worked hard to get us one step closer to flying again. To the many who are eagerly waiting for your chance to fly again, stay tuned. It won't be long now.

To read more visit the Space Center's Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/asdspacecenter

The Imaginarium Theater

The Best Videos From Around the World Edited for a Gentler Audience

Imaginarium Theater January 3, 2021 from SpaceCampUtah's Imaginarium on Vimeo.

How I Plan to Send Out 2020 Plus This Week's Imaginarium.

Hello Troops,

The Troubadour's worldwide team of reporters are on Christmas vacation so there won't be any Space EdVenture news; however the Imagineers from the Imaginarium Theater were busy all week producing your weekly video treat.  Please enjoy this week's Imaginarium Theater.  

From all of us at The Troubadour, we wish you an upcoming Happy New Year.  Goodbye and good riddance to 2020, a horrible year. Let's ask Fortuna and Fate for a happy 2021 May this new year bring us all peace,health,and prosperity.  

Each of us have our traditions for ringing in the new year. This year will be different for me. At 11:59 P.M. on the 31st I will be on my backyard deck facing west overlooking the valley below paying tribute to the departing 2020 in a very unteacher like fashion that I won't describe in this post :)  Let me just say that the moon and I will be out, shining brightly. At the stroke of midnight I'll face east to usher in 2021 with a toast of sparkling apple cider sipped to the accompaniment of fireworks carpeting the valley below.

Be Good and Let's Look Forward to a Better Year!

Mr. W. 

Imaginarium Theater

This Week's Best Videos From Around the World Edited for a Gentler Audience

Imaginarium Theater December 27, 2020 from SpaceCampUtah's Imaginarium on Vimeo.